An overload trip device is generally described in EP 848 404. The housing member accommodating the functional elements of this overload trip device is made from an electrically insulating material. Each current path provided by a conductor strap has associated therewith a chamber-like housing portion bounded by side walls, and the current paths have associated therewith a shared trip shaft which is rotatable about an axis of rotation. When a presettable thermal and/or magnetic threshold is reached, the trip shaft is rotated out of a rest position against the restoring force of a spring until it trips a switching mechanism located outside the housing member. The thermal and magnetic thresholds are set by two manually rotatable adjusting elements whose axes of rotation are perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the trip shaft.
Among the disadvantages of this overload trip device is that its assembly and, also its disassembly, which may become necessary at a later point, are relatively time-consuming and cost-intensive. This is generally because the housing member accommodating the functional elements of the overload trip device has a multipart design, including a frame-like housing part which holds the conductor straps of the individual current paths, the thermal and magnetic trip units, and the trip shaft, and further including a separate holding part which receives the two adjusting elements and has to be screwed to the frame-like housing part above the trip shaft. This separate holding part also serves to support a second, shaft-like transmission element, which is rotated when operating the adjusting element for setting the magnetic threshold value, and which, by means of springs, acts on the armatures associated with the current paths.